Wednesday, September 25, 2013

The National Academy of the Sciences is holding a conference this week called "The Science of Science Communications" and it opened up the web cast to whomever wanted to watch. I've seen some of it and have found myself wanting to scream at the screen.

The scientists have discovered story telling and narrative as a way of connecting the general population to the wonders of science. They are still debating how to do it of course. They told us that if you make a connection with people - use analogies - tell the story of how the research was developed and where it led - humanize the researcher - people will pay attention and perhaps even care.

The conference should really have been called "A Celebration of Breaking Bad." Many presenters referenced the AMC show which over six seasons has been a brilliant character study of how a dying high school chemistry teacher turned into a meth manufacturer because he desperately needed the money, and chemistry helped him do it.

News flash - this is not a show about the wonders of chemistry - it's about how someone who is essentially a good person transforms into a monster who lacks any form of morality except moderately where his family is concerned. There are formulas in the introduction to the show - that's about as deep as it gets into chemistry.

Do we really want to celebrate that?

The absolute irony was the presentations used to convey the scientists insights into science communications were scientific. They had charts with lots of labeled dots - were presented in language that was so thick it was hard to figure out. In other words, here are the purveyors of science communication telling scientists how to communicate, and they are not following their own advice.

A breakthrough on one panel was when a researcher who is figuring out how to communicate with teens explained that you have understand the target audience before you determine the best ways to talk to its members. I'll let that one stand on its own.

Another questioner pointed out that all of the scientific journal articles start out with the end result of the research - the great finding - and then work backwords to explain how they got there. But from Point A to Point B is oversimplified and not really an accurate description of how science works.

"Science is messy," she said, meaning that the whole point of basic research is that it may not lead where it was expected too. Why don't we just start there?

Thursday, September 19, 2013

The more you blog, the more you condense, the more you message, the easier it becomes to read a converasation, know what's missing, and inspire a new line of conversation.

This happened the other day with me when a LinkedIn post entitled "What Interviewers Wish they Could Tell Job Candidates" had some very good advice but missed all the technology.

My comment, was about what you are supposed to do when someone reads texts while they are talking to you. Do you say something? Do you steam? Do you know they are sending you a message that you are less important to them than the phone in their hand?

This type of behavior from an interviewer is more common than ever and it's unconscionably rude. I tell my kids to put the damn phone down. But what do I tell someone I want something from?

Monday, September 9, 2013

A growing number of marketers have drunk the brand evangelist Kool-Aid and it's a pleasure to listen to what they are saying. An evangelist is not just a loyal or even a super loyal customer - it's not even someone who fervently believes in your product - it's someone who cares about it - who takes it to heart.

And in the age of social marketing, your evangelist can and often does tell everyone they know about you, who then tell everyone they know, and it keeps going for a long time.

People sleep on the streets for the latest version of the iPhone. Need I say more?

I just ghostwrote an article for a CMO about brand evangelism which should appear in major media soon - and will share as soon as I can. What was fascinating is she talked about the evangelist in the non-profit world and what can be done to build them in corporate. Stay tuned.

The social marketing world is all about evangelism - and a growing number of highly respected, and quite rich marketing consultants are out there preaching it like the gospel. Vocus, the Beltsville-based cloud marketing software company, began a leadership series in August with the current crop of gurus - Seth Godin, Dorie Clark and Rohit Barghava among them. They make a case for building a network of evangelists and how to keep them once you get them. What they say is nothing earthshattering, but the way they put it hits home. And it's blissfully short - one message each. Evidently there's more to come.

Wednesday, September 4, 2013

For those of you who were not in PR
at the time, or do not remember – although how you could forget I do not know –
there was once a PR person at a big agency named Amber who represented a
company called Hot Pockets. After 9/11 she sent out a press release about how
people might want to check out this comfort food after what happened on that
day. Unless she was the bosses’ daughter – actually even if she was – Amber lost
her job when the Washington Post published her release with a commentary.

There are far more bad PR people than
good and as a service to those of you who are looking for an agency or need PR
here are a few articles about the worst that PR has to offer. One of the
biggest issues is that so many of the PR people who don’t know what they are
doing are young, untrained and trying to get the attention of actual
journalists in the same way they would create a tweet or Facebook post. PR requires
a real story to tell and a respectful pitch note.

When social site Wantster.com learned of Chris Brown's support
of the Kids Wish Network following a backlash of media reports of locals trying
to boycott Brown from headlining the Energy Rush concert series, the company
decided to get involved as a major sponsor. Wantster is working with Kids Wish
Network and Chris Brown to fulfill the want of a child who is battling a life
threatening illness. "We wanted to check off "MEET CHRIS BROWN"
from one lucky child's want list by granting them an up close and personal
meeting with Brown himself and VIP access to one of the concerts taking place
in Halifax, Winnipeg or Toronto", says Kathy Brewer, publicist for
Wantster.

I mean, check out this big scoop, courtesy of Jeff Inks and
Theresa Jacobs over at ALI. (Come on. Don’t pretend you don’t know the
initials…)

American Ladder Institute Exhibits at NSC Expo

CHICAGO – The American Ladder Institute (ALI), a not-for-profit
association dedicated to developing ladder safety standards and promoting safe
ladder use, will be exhibiting at the 2013 National Safety Council (NSC) Expo
taking place September 30 – October 2 in Chicago.

Look, guys, I don't want to be too smart-alecky about this, but if
I didn't bite on your Ladder Safety Month release, why would I promote your
convention booth? In future, please address your ladder-awareness news to
Curly@TheThreeStooges.com. My inbox is no place for your spam. And by the way,
on the subject of pork and pork byproducts, this arrived from Peter Marchese of
Playback Producers:

.Intv Opp-Bacon Nation

Hi, folks! Are you a bacon-lover? Check out these 125 recipes
that show bacon isn’t just for breakfast anymore!! Please let me know if
you’d like to book an interview!

Hello! My name is Veronica.[Hi.]I
found your blog through my research on Technorati, Google, and Social Media
sites.[Thank you,
fascinating.]After
reviewing your site, I commend you. I respect your work. I know that blogging
is more work than most understand.[God damn right Veronica.]

I'm reaching out to you to start the discussion of working
together. I'm looking to promote our easy, convenient, and confidential car
title loans as an alternative to other traditional lender options for those
across the nation with financial hardships.[Let me stop
you right there, Veronica. You see, we are a humorous general interest blog
site with little to no connection to the topic of car title loans. Furthermore,
we are not in the business of promoting specific car title loan companies. Even
our car site, Jalopnik, where you should have sent this email (if only you did
not think we are The Huffington Post), does not do that. So you're really
wasting your time here. Thanks anyhow. You may stop writing, hit
"Cancel," and continue on doing something more productive with your
day now.]

Tuesday, September 3, 2013

Every time I see another Disney princess from my daughters pre-teen years (aka this time Miley Cyrus) trying to break away from her nice girl image and transformed into someone I never want my daughter to behave like I get furious.Not just furious at Miley and the entourage around her who are charging her insane amounts of money for advice on how to take her from the teen to adult market. But mostly at her PR people. Don't you get that parents actually pay attention to this stuff too?

I have news for you folks. There's alluring, there's sexy and there's obscene. Often in an effort to spark a national conversation about your "product" oh no I mean star, you turn away the very teen girls who used to watch her. Any girl brought up with a modicum of decency doesn't want to see Miley do whatever it was she did on the MTV awards last weekend. It's gross, and it can't be good for record sales. Maybe for the short term but not the long.

Let's compare. Miranda Cosgrove, teen princess from the Drake & Josh show which every parent approved of and watched a long side their children. Moved to a show where she was more grown up but still grappling with the issues that a teen girl deals with. Amanda Bynes from The Amanda Show on which she was sweet, bubbly, funny - now transformed into the next generation Lindsay Lohan. Which would you rather have your daughters experience?

Or are you too busy to pay attention to what your daughters are watching. Even the Kardashians aren't as bad as what some of the former teen idols are doing. At least they are unabashed, ridiculously selfish, overly plasticized versions of someone I would throw rotten tomatoes at. And they got rich doing it. If America wants to watch that crap then let it. But don't take a young girl my daughter grew up admiring and turn her into a porn star at the MTV awards, really?

I am not a prude by any means but we have swung way, way to far towards the othe side of the pendulum. There is a middle ground between a girl who is saving her virginity for marriage and one who is openly available to everyone. And the PR people who orchestrate these events should know better.

About SternComm

I used to work at an Ivy League school and when people would explain their dissertations to me I thought because I didn't understand them, I wasn't as smart as they were. But the truth is they were just poor communicators. Stern Communications takes complex science, health and education information and transforms it into mass media PR and marketing campaigns. This blog is what we learn as we go.